Are you going to go to Baylor if you get in? I was excited about the half-tuition scholarship, but nobody seems to like Waco.... I've only been to TX once (Dallas), so I may need to visit the campus.

Hi! Those numbers would be me. I have to give Baylor credit. I didn't expect any $$$ with my numbers, but they really did weigh my entire application when they made the decision. I know that many students with much better stats than I have don't get half-scholarships, much less full-rides. A word of warning I received from a current student when I visited the school this week: a lot of students go in with scholarships, and not many still have them by 4Q. As for me, you know my numbers, but I'm also a 33-yr-old mother of three, URM, who worked F/T through undergrad (2 years with AmeriCorps) and happened to have a wicked case of flu the day I took the LSAT. Since I took it at Baylor and it was proctored by one of the admissions officers, they remembered me (as Typhoid Mary, but hey... whatever works!). I never took the exam again because, frankly, in this house the $132 is 2 weeks worth of groceries. I think one of the ways they make Baylor so competetive is by offering the entire incoming class scholarships with the caveat that they have to stay in the top 50% to keep them. Folks, I have absolutely NO intention of losing this scholarship, so let the games begin!

UMHBmom

Chicago~ my scholarship states that it is a 1-yr-scholarship so long as I maintain a 2.75 the first year, then it renews every quarter after that that I maintain a 2.60. In addition to scholarships, Baylor is big on on cash awards. Even the required mini-court cases have cash prizes, which probably also adds to the competetiveness. On Law Day, the school hands out checks left and right to students for various things. But.... the place is TOUGH! I sat in on that 3rd yr. required Practice Court, and I watched the prof dismiss an entire row for poor preparation within the first minute. The "lucky" girl who was able to answer the question wound up in the hotseat (or "shoes", since you must stand and deliver at Baylor) for the rest of the class. Survival is do-able, though. Students DO make law review, graduate with various cum laudes, and shed a minimal amount of tears. The students aren't walking around like they're being stalked by the Grim Reaper, either. They DO laugh! The only person I know more competetive than me is my brother-in-law (I say that because I caught him cheating at CandyLand when my daughter was 3), so I personally am REALLY looking forward to the experience!

Congrats to all those who got in! I am kicking myself because I forgot Baylor had an early action program and applied 3 days after the deadline (as pathetic as this sound, this will be the FOURTH time I have applied to this school, but the first time with a higher LSAT). I love the facilities there and the campus (was an undergrad there). Plus, one of my favorite studying spots is across the street from the law school at the Chili's/Starbucks parking garage complex (a lot nicer than you think ). FYI, Baylor is not affilated with the Southern Baptist Convention but it is still a Baptist school (it was only keeping that status for the money it got, but the administration decided that its academic integrity was more important than a couple million dollars a year from some uber conservative religious zealots. Also, the law school is nothing like the undergrad so dont worry about being brainwashed (it is no where near as conservative as BYU or GMU for that matter). True, you may have to stay in Texas after you graduate but its not impossible to move. The special prosecutor against Nixon was from Baylor and I met a Baylor Law alum in Brussels, Belgium who was a partner at an international firm Paris (he scared the hell out of the local European litigators LOL). Waco is not too bad, but I earned a 4.0 living here as an undergrad (with a part-time manager job) and the classes are pretty difficult (I am comparing similar course work from UT and A&M).

If you do visit the school, go down University Parks (the same main road the law school is located on) towards downtown and just visit the warehouse district and partial nightlife there. The favorite spots there are Crickets (with hundreds of beers on tap), Ninfa's (great Mexican food and Ninfa-ritas), Treffs (good bar but small), Slowpokes (great BBQ and almost a hundred TVs including personal ones in your booths), Grationos (really good italian and a NICE interior), and these are all located right next to eachother. You will also see Arty Fleish and other White House folks at Damons across the street when the President visits Crawford. You should also check out George's (top rated bar by Maxim and home of the Big-O beers and margaritas) and some of the local restaurants. EVERYTHING is cheap here (you can get a nice apartment with almost 1000 sq/ft for about $500/month with some, if not all, utilities included. Beer at a bar, yes that ultimate commodity for price comparison , will run you at about 3 bucks a pint at non-happy hours (and we are not talking Keystone). Plus, if you ever DO get a weekend off, Austin is an hour and a half away and so is Dallas (been to a lot of Maverick, Stars, and Ranger games in my time there). If you have any questions about the area or school, go ahead and ask. Baylor (and Waco) gets a bad rap for things that are all based on rumors or speculation. Again, congrats and good luck! (Oh, and if you don't want to go, please release your seat to those of us who need every chance we can get )

Midjeep - Your talk of Baylor/Waco is reminding me off my undergrad. university (which I loved!!!!).

Small town, inexpensive living, very cheap drinks...The bars used to have 25 cent wells every night and $1 longnecks and the local Mexican food places would have 99 cent Margaritas....my school had about 13,000 students and almost everyone knew eachother and I definately knew everyone in my classes. The envrionment was so warm and friendly. If I actually said the name of the town, alot of people would probably think it was "backwoods" (kind of like how people think of Waco) but I loved it and almost everyone I have ever talked to who went to my undergrad. loved it, too!

At any rate, your thoughts on Waco are making me like Baylor more and more. Part of my decision will be based on where my boyfriend gets his medical residency (there is a program in nearby Temple at Scott & White). Since you seem familiar with Waco area, do you know what (approx.) the cost (to buy) for a piece of land out in the country (1 to 2 acres) with a small house would run? I don't think there is an apartment complex in the world that would allow me to keep my Springer and Great Dane.